At the annual end-of-the-year picnic for Fairmont State University faculty and staff, RJ Gimbl, President and CEO of the Fairmont State Foundation, surprised FSU President Maria Rose with a special gift from the FSU community. Gimbl announced the creation of the Maria C. Rose Endowed Scholarship for first generation college students.

The creation of the scholarship was a special tribute to Rose’s many years of service to the University. After being part of the Fairmont State family for more than 25 years, Dr. Maria Rose became the University’s president on May 3, 2012. Prior to her appointment, she served as Interim President, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and as a faculty member. Rose will retire when her contract ends on June 30, 2017.

“Dr. Rose, your Falcon Family offers sincere thanks for your contributions to FSU and the greater community and honors your legacy of commitment and caring through this new scholarship for first generation college students,” Gimbl said.

Focusing the scholarship award was a personal touch to salute Rose, who was the first in her family to attend college like many of FSU’s students. Rose often speaks fondly of her parents and their support of her pursuit of higher education.

“Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I was one of those kids who played school. There was never a doubt in my mind or in my parents’ minds that I would go to college, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would someday be a university president. That is the power of a higher education degree. Education can create opportunities you never dared to imagine,” Rose said.

To donate to the scholarship, contact the Fairmont State Foundation at (304) 534-8786 or make a gift online at FSUFoundation.org.

Dr. Rose taught developmental writing, developmental reading and study skills and has coordinated the campus-wide peer tutoring program. She served as Director of Retention and Vice President of Academic Services. Working with the FSU School of Education’s Professional Development Schools initiative, she has served as the liaison for White Hall Elementary School.

She was a member of the Governor’s Council on Literacy during the administrations of Gaston Caperton, Cecil Underwood and Bob Wise. As a member of the Council, she served as Chair of Public Outreach and worked on many family literacy projects. Rose authored and served as the Principal Investigator for the Fairmont State Title III Strengthening Institutions grant. She received national recognition as Outstanding First Year Student Advocate, which was presented by the National Resource Center for First Year Experience and Students in Transition. Dr. Rose served on a task force for the Higher Education Policy Commission Adult Learner initiative and is currently serving on the Commission’s College Completion Task Force.

Chancellor Paul Hill of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission named Dr. Rose to the Compensation, Planning and Review Committee maintained in SB439 as part of the human resources directive (Old 330). Also during her tenure as president, she has served as chair of the Conduct Committee for the Mountain East Conference and Presidential Coordinator for the West Virginia Association of Regional Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Rose has remained active in the Fairmont community, serving on the boards of directors for the United Way of Marion County and the Marion County Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Rose received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Fairmont State College and a Master of Arts degree in Reading from West Virginia University. From WVU, she also earned an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on family and community literacy issues as they relate to higher education. In addition, she earned a Developmental Educator Certification through the Kellogg Institute of Appalachian State University.

“I am grateful for the relationships built and lives changed by this University, which has made a great impact on my life.  My role in the story of Fairmont State is changing but not ending. Tom, our family and I will always be proud to be part of the Falcon family,” Dr. Rose said.

Fairmont State University’s outstanding faculty members were recognized on Wednesday, April 19, during the Recognition of Faculty Achievement luncheon for their exemplary efforts throughout the 2016-2017 academic year.

The event was hosted by the Faculty Development Committee, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Fairmont State Foundation. Funding for the awards and grants is provided by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Fairmont State Foundation.

 “I deeply appreciate the Faculty Development Committee’s efforts along with those of Dr. Christina Lavorata’s office to bring us together to celebrate and recognize the great achievements of our faculty. Thanks to the Fairmont State Foundation for funding and support so that our outstanding faculty can be honored. Students choose Fairmont State primarily because of the quality of our academic programs and the faculty in those programs. I know that to you our students always come first,” said FSU President Maria Rose.

The following faculty members were honored at the event: T. Jean Engebretson, William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence; Amanda Metcalf, Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award; Leisa Muto, Faculty Recognition Award; Susan Cato-Chapman, Fairmont State Foundation Fellow Award; Janie Leary, Ashley Shroyer and Amy Sidwell, Fairmont State Foundation Fellow Award; Kimberly Derico, Excellence in Academic Advising Award. Theresa Jones, a member of the Faculty Development Committee, emceed the event.

The following faculty members were promoted to Full Professor: Veronica Gallo, Debra Hoag, Frances Young. The following faculty members were recognized for their promotion to Associate Professor and received Tenure: Leia Bobo, Daniel Eichenbaum, Michael Ransom, Susan Ross, Amy Sidwell, Joshua Smallridge. The following faculty members were honored with Emeriti Status: Joseph Blankenship, James Dunlevy, Sharon Hiltz, Nancy McClure, Maria Rose. The following faculty members were granted sabbaticals: Alexis Hicks, Ashley Shroyer, Phillip Yeager.

The following faculty members were recognized with Years of Service Awards: 20 years, Tia Como, Kenneth Millen-Penn, Ann Shaver; 25 years, Warren Baker, Matthew Scanlon; 30 years, Randall Baker, Roxann Humbert.

“Celebrations such as today’s luncheon truly bring to light the achievements and hard work that the faculty do, and the Foundation is proud to share in your successes by providing awards that will further your work in support of educating our students,” said RJ Gimbl, President of the Fairmont State Foundation. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff and donors to the Fairmont State Foundation, we congratulate all of you on your achievements, your dedication to your work and for making Fairmont State University the successful institution that it is today.”

Jean Engebretson, William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence

The William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes full-time faculty at Fairmont State for outstanding achievements, unusual dedication or accomplishments in teaching. Leisa Muto, Assistant Professor in Accounting in the School of Business, presented the award to Dr. Jean Engebretson, Professor of Accounting.

“Dr. Jean Engebretson, or Dr. E as her students call her, has demonstrated this excellence since she was hired in 2008,” Muto said. “Her dedication to teaching extends far beyond the classroom through her annual Voluntary Income Tax Assistance Program. Dr. E, along with her students, travel from late January to early April to various locations in four counties. At the VITA sites, students prepare income taxes for free and gain real-world experience, all under the watchful eye of Dr. E. The VITA program, which she organizes and supervises, provides a service to the community and also direct educational benefits to participating students.”

Students and colleagues submitted letters in support of Engebretson’s nomination. One student stated: “Her real-time quizzes expected students to be listening and engaged. Her classes, and her expectations, are the single greatest contribution to my own success.” Another student said, “Dr. E’s courses were far and away my favorite at Fairmont State. They were also the hardest.”

Engebretson thanked the Faculty Development Committee for the honor.

“It is truly an honor to receive this award, particularly because it is an award for teaching,” Engebretson said. “In the last couple of years, we, in the Accounting Department, have spent a lot of time redesigning our classes to make them more interactive. We have also continued to incorporate real-world experiences like VITA into our program. Over the last eight years, we have prepared over 9,000 income tax returns and helped over 4,500 taxpayers in our state. Over 120 Accounting students have participated in the program during that time. Together we have volunteered almost 7,000 hours.”

Amanda Metcalf, Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award

The Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award honors and encourages innovative and distinctive teaching by faculty at Fairmont State. Leisa Muto presented the award to Amanda Metcalf, Associate Professor of Physical Education.

Muto said that Metcalf is outstanding in her efforts to enhance the student experience, and her research-driven approach to course design demonstrates innovation in teaching. She told the story of what she experienced when observing Metcalf’s Performance Based Assessment course as part of the award process. Metcalf used various forms of technology to create a multimodal learning experience.

The class began with a video mashup of a 1989 aerobics championship set to Taylor Swift’s recent hit “Shake It Off.” After the video, the students and observers participated in an online polling quiz with their cell phones. After that PowerPoint was used to establish learning objectives and introduce new information to the students, such as how to calculate target heart rate zone. Then students had to get up, jog in place and take their pulse.

“There was so much happening in this class. There was constant energy and motion, but it was all completely relevant and focused to the topic that day: Heart Rate Monitors in Physical Education. I enjoyed your class. I learned something in your class. You are an outstanding teacher,” Muto told Metcalf.

Leisa Muto, Faculty Recognition Award

The Faculty Recognition award is presented in honor of a faculty member who has demonstrated a sustained, energetic and successful commitment to teaching. Susan Ross, Associate Professor of Physical Education, presented the Faculty Recognition Award to Leisa Muto, Assistant Professor of Accounting in the School of Business. Muto is a Certified Public Accountant and holds multiple degrees, including a bachelor’s degree in Italian studies, a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in Latin and a master’s degree in professional accounting.

Muto redesigned her Principles of Accounting I and II courses to reflect a “flipped learning environment” pedagogical model in which there are four main components: a “sticky” syllabus; activity-based learning; the creation and use of videos to flip content of the course; and the use of a student peer mentor.

“I think the words of students and colleagues say a lot about Leisa, and I was glad I had the pleasure to sit in on one of her classes and observe her dynamic personality and interactions with students in the classroom,” Ross said. “She cultivates a motivating learning environment that is focused, yet stress-free, relaxed and student-centered. She treats every student in the class as important and valued. She uses students’ names and gives lots of positive feedback. It was clear that students were actively engaged in a supportive learning environment.”

One of her students stated in a letter of support: “Ms. Muto is one of the best professors at FSU, and I believe she is more than deserving of this award.”

Susan Cato-Chapman, Fairmont State Foundation Fellow Award

Erica Harvey, Professor of Chemistry, presented the Fairmont State Foundation Fellowship ($1,500) to Susan Cato-Chapman, Assistant Professor of Theatre. Cato-Chapman will use her award to finish her teacher certification in the Alexander Technique, a study into the art and science of human design and coordination.

In her proposal, she wrote: “The Alexander Technique is used worldwide to help people move mindfully through life. It shines a light on inefficient habits of movement and patterns of accumulated tension and is a simple yet powerful approach that offers the opportunity to take charge of one’s own learning and healing process. It is not a series of passive treatments but rather, an active exploration that changes the way one thinks and responds in activity.”

Harvey said that Cato-Chapman made a compelling case for use with musicians, actors, athletes and stressed-out students.

Janie Leary, Ashley Shroyer, Amy Sidwell, Fairmont State Foundation Fellow Award

Erica Harvey, Professor of Chemistry, presented the second Fairmont State Foundation Fellowship ($1,500) to Janie Leary, Assistant Professor of Community Health Education in the School of Education, Health and Human Performance; Amy Sidwell, Associate Professor of Community Health Education; and Ashley Shroyer, Associate Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing.

As a result of this project, students in both programs will experience how lessons from the classroom translate into real-life health promotion initiatives. The team will involve students in the coming year in the design and offering of the second FSU Substance Abuse/Health Relationships Fair, which is making its debut this spring as a partnership between faculty from the Community Health Education and Nursing programs.

Kimberly Derico, Excellence in Academic Advising Award

The Award for Excellence in Academic Advising is presented to honor the demonstrated excellence and commitment that academic advisors play in the education, personal development and success of their advisees. This year’s award winner is Kimberly Derico, Assistant Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing. Derico was nominated by her student Haley Swiger.

“The nomination highlights Professor Derico’s ability to make each student feel important by knowing their names, smiling and greeting students each time she sees them, always checking to ensure that classes and exams are going well, asking them about their personal lives and making sure that they are able to balance those lives with their academics, and taking the time to listen to the responses without interruption,” said Pam Stephens, Coordinator of Academic Advising and the RBA Program, who presented the award.

“Not only does Professor Derico encourage students to do the best that they can, but her advisees feel that she truly cares about them as students and that she wants them to be successful nurses and individuals.”

Two students and a faculty member from Fairmont State University will be traveling to Helsinki, Finland, to participate in a class on metal casting during the summer session.

The sculpture-oriented class is offered through Shepherd University and hosted by the University of the Arts in Helsinki. The sculpture departments and faculty of FSU and Shepherd have recently collaborated, often being invited or extending an invitation to pour metal at both campuses.

For the ninth consecutive year, three West Virginia high school seniors have been named as recipients of Fairmont State University’s premier academic scholarship, the Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship.

The following students have been selected as 2017 scholarship winners:

The Fairmont State University College of Liberal Arts honored its high achieving students during the seventh annual Academic Awards Ceremony at the end of the spring 2017 semester.

Dr. Deanna Shields, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts; Dr. Maria Rose, FSU President; and RJ Gimbl, President of the Fairmont State Foundation, presented greetings and congratulations to the students for their academic achievements.

Department of Behavioral Sciences—Dr. Christopher Kast, Incoming Chair

The Fairmont State University School of Business honored students for their academic achievement at the Delta Mu Delta Induction Ceremony and Scholarship and Award Presentations at the end of the spring 2017 semester. Dr. Richard Harvey is Dean of the School of Business. Dr. Gina Fantasia and Dr. Rebecca Giorcelli are Associate Deans.

Six awards were presented to students for academic achievement:

The Fairmont State University College of Science and Technology honored students for their academic achievement at the 2017 Academic Awards Celebration on May 3.

Dr. Don Trisel is Dean of the College of Science and Technology. Philip Freeman, AIA, NCARB is Chair of the Department of Architecture + Graphics; Dr. Steven Roof is Chair of the Department of Biology, Chemistry and Geoscience; Dr. Mahmood Hossain is Chair of the Department of Computer Science, Math and Physics; Hugh Costello, P.E. is Chair of the Department of Technology.

A total of 1,186 students have been honored for their academic achievement at Fairmont State University after completing the spring 2017 semester.

Dr. Christina Lavorata, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, has released the Dean’s List and the President’s List to recognize high-achieving students for their academic distinction. Full-time students who earned a 3.4 or better grade point average are named to the Dean’s List. Full-time students achieving a perfect 4.0 grade point average are named to the President’s List.

Fairmont State University’s Town & Gown Players is excited to return to Prickett's Fort Amphitheatre with To Kill a Mockingbird, based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family and neighbors, and an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old.

Six students majoring in English and English Education have won departmental research fellowships this summer, according to Dr. M. Angela Schwer, chair of the Department of Language and Literature.  The six are Chelsi L. Latocha, Laura E. Morris, Lily M. Peterson, Joyanna N. Poe, Veronica Grace Ryan, and Thomas J. White.

Hundreds of majorettes have come to Fairmont State University to participate in the 70^th Drum Majorettes of America National Finals, which is taking place in the Joe Retton Arena of the Feaster Center through Wednesday.

Now the trip may be even more memorable for the participants of the organization’s championship round. Dr. Stephen B. Jones, FSU’s interim president, attended Drum Majorettes of America’s opening ceremonies Sunday afternoon and offered a $500 scholarship to any 2017 national finals participant.

Fairmont State University announces Dr. Richard Harvey will serve as Director, Harrison County Operations, to oversee the expansion of facilities and programs in that region.

FSU has three facilities in Harrison County region, the downtown Clarksburg Gaston Caperton Center, the Robert C. Byrd National Aerospace Education Center as well as the 10,000 square foot presence under construction in the Charles Pointe development. The facilities host some of FSU's degree programs in high-demand career fields, like nursing, criminal justice, information systems management and aerospace.

The George W. Bowers Family Charitable Trust provided a $15,000 grant toward the Forensic and Analytical Chemistry Technology (FACT) Center at Fairmont State University. The grant funding will go toward the purchase of two key pieces of instrumentation as well as establishing a summer camp for children ages 9-18.

Meghan B. Phillips, Class of 2006, supervised a union election in Fairmont on Wednesday, August 9.

Three Fairmont State students will attend the Midwest Modern Language Association’s annual meeting Nov. 9-12, 2017, according to Dr. Elizabeth Savage, professor of English. 

Chelsie Latocha, Tina Nichols, and V. Grace Rine will present their research as part of the Midwest Modern Language Association’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Fairmont State students spend summer doing all sorts of things from jobs to vacations.  Kira N. Guier, an honors student from Kearneysville, West Virginia, studied this summer at The Washington Center and interned at DC127.

Kira, a junior, is double majoring in criminal justice and history.

Four seniors were inducted into the Beta Omega Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honorary, on August 27, according to Dr. James Matthews, the faculty sponsor for the chapter at Fairmont State.

Chelsi L. Latocha, Alyssa N. Lloyd-Hanisch, V. Grace Rine, and Thomas White received the distinction at the Folklife Center before family and faculty.  Matthews told the assembly, “These students are our success stories.”

This year the College of Liberal Arts decided to host a panel discussion entitled: “With Liberty and Justice for All?: The Constitution and Civil Liberties.” With the goal of prompting civil discussion across campus, the panelists aimed to shed light on various historical and contemporary issues related how and why the Constitution — and, specifically, amendments to it — has aimed to define and protect the civil liberties of American citizens.

Six students majoring in English and English Education have won departmental research fellowships this summer, according to Dr. M. Angela Schwer, chair of the Department of Language and Literature.  The six are Chelsi L. Latocha, Laura E. Morris, Lily M. Peterson, Joyanna N. Poe, Veronica Grace Ryan, and Thomas J. White.